The present invention relates to a wheel suspension for the rear axle of a vehicle, the rear axle of a vehicle, and a method for positioning the wheel carrier connection of a damper device in the wheel suspension of a vehicle.
Suspensions for vehicles are generally known. For example, DE 10 2010 030 292 A1 shows such a rear axle in principle. It is also already known that the rear axles of vehicles and the corresponding wheel suspensions are arranged to be steerable. Such a steerable rear suspension and a steerable rear axle advantageously enable even large vehicles to more easily stay in a lane and negotiate tighter bends and tighter turning radii. A steerable rear axle also improves road-holding.
However, conventional steerable rear axles or steerable wheel suspensions for rear axles disadvantageously have a negative impact on the width dimensional chain of the vehicle. Providing steerability of the wheel suspension of a rear axle requires, for example, widening of the track of the vehicle or reducing the through-load area between the two outer wheel suspensions. A reduced through-load area reduces the load capacity of the trunk of a vehicle. Widening the track width degrades the aerodynamic characteristic of the vehicle and is also partly undesirable for aesthetic reasons. Interfering in the width dimensional chain is necessary because the wheel attached to the wheel suspension must be able to move in a wheel space due to the steerability. This movability is a pivoting motion about an axis oriented vertically to the vehicle, i.e. about the steering axis. The resulting set wheel space prevents the installation of components in this wheel space, which are otherwise necessary for the technical functionality of the wheel suspension. The conventional wheel suspensions therefore require accepting the increase in track width so that all technical functionalities, in particular the damping and suspension can be maintained in the desired manner.